School-desk.



Patented Feb. 27, I900.

W. T. DODD.

SCHOOL DESK.

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

No. 644,064. Patented Feb. 27', I900.

' W. T. DDDD.

SCHOOL DES K.-

(Application filed Mar. 15, 1899.) v '(No Model.) 2 Shpets-Sheet 2.

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NrTnD STATES PATENT Enron.

SCHOOL-DESK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 644,064, dated February 27, 1900.

Application filed March 15, 1899- Serial No. 709,163. (No modelL) T0 aZZ whom, it may concern.

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. Donn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Walla Walla, in the county of Walla Walla and State of Washington, have invented a new and useful School-Desk, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to school desks and chairs, and has for its object to provide simple and efficient means for adjusting the desk and seat to suit pupils of different sizes, also to provide means for varying the position of the seat horizontally with relation to the desk, and also to provide means whereby a section of the desktop may be arranged in positio to serve as a book-rest.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following 'descrip-" tion, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a desk and seat constructed in accordance with my invention, the desk-top section being shown as arranged to serve as a bookrest. Fig. 2is a front View, partly in section. Fig. 3 is a vertical central section. Fig. 4 is a detail view in perspective of the desk-adjusting devices and the adjacent upper ends of the stationary standard members. Fig. 5 is a detail horizontal section of one of the standards, taken in the plane of the lockingbolt. Fig. 6 is a perspective View, partly broken away, of the seat supporting and adjusting devices, viewing the same from beneath.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the draw lugs.

In the illustrated embodiment of my inven tion the desk-supporting standards or legs are of sectional construction and comprise the upper movable or desk sections 10, and the lower stationary or foot sections 11, the latter being provided with suitable means of attachment to the floor, as in the ordinary practice,and the former being provided with means for attachment to a desk-top 12. The upper or desk members of the standards are mounted to slide vertically upon the lower or stationary members, fastening devices, such as bolts 13, being extended through openings in the movable members and slots 14 in the stationary members, and being engaged at their inner ends by thumb-nuts 15, said bolts having squared portions which fit in the openings of the movable standard members to hold them against rotation. Also, to increase the security of the look when the thumb-nuts are tightened, I preferably provide the movable standard members at their inner sides with parallel beveled flanges 16, which cooperate with beveled bearing-surfaces 17 of the stationarystandard members, whereby when the bolts are tightened the beveled surfaces of said flanges, which form guides, are drawn inward upon the bearing-surfaces of the stationary standard members and are frictionally-clamped against movement.

, Connecting the upper ends of the station ary standard members is a cross-bar 18, terminally secured to said standard members by means of ears 19, fitted in flanged seats formed on theinner sides of the standard members and engaged by bolts 20, and at its center said cross-bar is provided with a pendent keeper 21, between which and the under side of the bar is arranged a hand-wheel 22, having a tapped central opening forming a feed-nut, through which extends the feed-screw 23. The feed-screw is of curved or segmental construction, passes loosely through guide-openings in thec'ross-bar and keeper, and is attached at its upper end to an adj listing-lever 24., fulcrnmed by means of a bolt 25 upon a rearward extension or bracket 26 of said crossbar. The feed-screw is attached to an intermediate portion of the adj ustiug-lever, (which is of the third order,) and at its free end the lever impinges against a bearing-plate 27, secured to the under side of the desk-top. Also depending from the bearing plate, which serves as a wear-plate, is a guide-pin 28, for the reception of which the adjusting-lever is provided with a longitudinal slot- 29, and in practice I prefer to construct said guide-pin as a pendent bolt fitted with a nut 30, which may be tightened, after the desired adjustment of the desk-top hasbeen attained, to insure the rigidity of the parts. The bearing end of the adjusting-lever is rounded on its upper side where it contacts with the bearingplate.

Secured to the stationary members of the desk-standards are the extremities of a forwardly-extending yoke 31, said extremities being preferably slotted longitudinally, as shown at 32, for engagement by fasteningbolts 33, which extend through openings in the standard members, and at its center said yoke supports the seat 34. By the adjustment of the extremities of the yoke with relation to the desk-standards the position of the seat may be varied forwardly and rearwardly with relation to the desk, and hence with relation to a desk in front of that illustrated, which is adapted for use by the pupil occupying the illustrated seat. The yoke is provided with a central depending sleeve 35, which is interiorly threaded for the reception of the seat-adjusting screw 36, and attached to the under side of the seat is a spider 37, which is swiveled for independent rotation upon the upper end of said seat-adjusting screw. In the construction illustrated the spider is provided with a central bearing fitted upon a journal portion 33 of the adjustingscrew, and depending from the spider is a stoppin 39, in the path of which is arranged a cooperatingstop-pin 40, extending radiallyfrom the adjusting-screw, whereby, with the adjusting-screw fixed in an adjusted position, the contact of the seat-carried stop-pin with the screw-carried stop-pin limits the rotation of the seat, whereas when the screw is free to turn it may be adjusted by causing the seatcarried pin to engage that carried by the screw and rotating the seat in either direction. In other words, said stop-pins, in addition to performing their function of preventing excessive rotation of the seat independently of the adjusting-screw, serve as the means whereby motion is communicated from the seat to the screw in adjusting the latter to vary the elevation of the seat. Said depending sleeve of the yoke is provided at one side with a longitudinal rib 41, and fitted upon the sleeve is a seat-standard 42, having a groove 43 to receive said rib, and thus insure the desired position of the seat-standard with relation to the yoke. Threaded in the seat-standard is a set-screw 44, which extends into an opening 45 in the sleeve to hold the seat-standard in operative position, and also, preferably, said set-screw extends through said opening in the sleeve to engage a longitudinal channel 46 in the seat-adjusting screw when the latter is arranged with the screw-carried stoppin in a rearwardly-extending position. Thus the seat-standard may be detached from the yoke by removing the set-screw to enable the parts of the device to be arranged in compact relation for shipment and storage, and by withdrawing said set-screw sufficiently to release the seat-adjusting screw the latter may be turned by impact rotary motion to the seat,

motion being communicated from the seat to the screw, as above described, by means of the cooperating stop-pins.

From the above description it will be seen that the desk-top may be adjusted vertically by loosening the locking-bolts employed for maintaining the movable standard members in an adjusted position and turningthe feednut, which is in operative engagement with the feed-screw connected with the desk-adj usting lever, and that when the desired adjustment of the desk-top has been attained it may be securely locked bytighteningsaid securing-bolts and also the nut which is fitted upon the guide-pin at the free end of the adjusting-lever to cause frictional contact of the rounded bearing portion of the adj usting-lever with the under surface of the bearing plate. Furthermore, it will be seen that the desired adjustment of the seat with relation to the vertical plane of the desk may be attained by moving the yoke and that vertical adjustment of the seat may be attained by turning the adjusting-screw.

In the construction of the seat I preferably employ a bowed back strip 47, approximately semicircular in plan and held by uprights or rounds 48 at such a height from the plane of the seat as to reach only to about the small of the back of the pupil occupying the seat, as I have found such construction and arrangement to be more hygienic than one wherein the back is extended to receive the pressure of the shoulders of the pupil and is approximately flat. Such a construction of seat-back allows perfect freedom of movement of the upper portion of the body and also of the arms, while giving sufficient support at the small of the back to avoid unnecessarily fatiguing the occupant of the seat. Furthermore, I preferably construct the desk-top to for-m a book-receptacle and provide it with a cover having a hinged section 49, which is of an area less than that of the desk-top and is adapted to be arranged in a forwardly and upwardly inclined position to constitute a book-rest, a book-supporting strip 50 being attached to the inner surface of said hinged cover-section and extending nearly across adjacent to its hinged edge. I also preferably employ two brackets 51,having straight bodies bolted or otherwise secured to the inner face of this hinged section 49, as seen in Fig. 1, and curving thence outwardly and terminating in hooks 53, which are adapted to engage with stop-pins 52 in the inner faces of the sides of the desk-bod y or book-receptacle when the hinged section reaches a proper inclination. It will thus be seen that these brackets serve the combined function of properly supporting the book-rest or hinged section and also acting as stops to prevent the books which rest on the strip from being accidentally pushed off either end thereof.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction maybe ICO resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In a school-desk, the combination with a supporting-frame and a vertically-adj ustable desk-top, of an adj usting-lever f ulcrumed at one end upon the frame and having bearingcontact at the other end with the under side of the desk-top, a feed-screw depending from an intermediate portion of said lever, and a feed-nut mounted upon the frame and engaging the feed-s'crew to impart motion to said lever, substantially as specified.

2. In a school-desk, the combination with a supporting-frame and a vertically-adj ustable desk-top, of an adj Listing-lever fulcrumed at one end upon the frame and having bearing contact at the other end with the under side of the desk-top, a curved feed-screw attached to and depending from an intermediate portion of the adjusting-lever, and a feed-nut mounted in fixed bearings and engaged with the feed-screw for imparting motion to the same to actuate the lever, substantially as specified.

3. In a school desk, the combination of standards having movable and stationary members, and means for securing the former in their adjusted positions, a desk-top carried by the movable standard members, a cross-bar connecting the stationary standard members, a keeper on said bar, both bar and keeper having guide-openings, a desktop-adj usting lever fulcrumed at one end upon said cross-bar and terminally bearing against the under side of the desk-top, a segmental feedscrew depending from the adjusting lever and passing loosely through said guide-openings, and a feed-nut engaged with the feedscrew for imparting motion to the lever, substantially as specified.

4. In a school desk, the combination of standards having movable and stationary members, and means for securing the former in their adjusted positions, a desk-top carried by the movable standard members, a cross-bar connecting the stationary standard members, a desk top adjusting lever fulcrumed at one end upon said cross-bar and having at its opposite end a rounded bearingsurface, a bearing-plate interposed between the bearing-surface of said lever and the under surface of the desk-top, a feed-screw depending from the lever,and a feed-nut mounted upon the cross-bar and engaging the feedscrew for imparting motion to the lever, substantially as specified.

5. In a school-desk, the combination of standards having movable and stationary members, and means for securing the former in their adjusted positions, a desk-top carried by the movable standard members, a cross-bar connecting the stationary standard members, an adjusting-lever fulcrumed at one end upon said cross-bar and having at its opposite end a rounded bearing-surface, a bearing-plate interposed between the bearing-surface of said lever and the under surface of the desk-top, and having a depending guide-pin engaged by the lever, a feedscrew depending from the lever, and a feednut mounted upon the cross-bar and engaging the feed-screw for imparting motion to the lever, substantially as specified.

6. In a school-desk, the combination of standards having movable and stationary members, and means for securing the former in their adjusted positions, a desktop carried by the movable standard members, a cross-bar connecting the stationary standard members, an adjusting-lever fulcrumed at one end upon said cross-bar and provided at the other end with a bearing-surface and a longitudinal slot, a guide-pin depending from the desk-top through said slot of the lever, and engagedby a nut, a feed-screw depending from the adj usting-lever, and a feed-nut mounted upon the cross-bar and engaging the feed-screw, substantially as specified.

7. A school-desk having its top constructed to form a book-receptacle and having a hinged cover-section of an area less than that of the desk-top, a transverse book-supporting strip secured to the inner surface of said coversection near its hinge, fixed stops projecting inwardly from the side walls of the book-receptacle, and brackets having straight bodies secured across theinner surface of the coversection beyond the ends of said strip, thence curving around the hinge-line, and terminating in hooks for engagement with said stops to hold the cover-section in a forwardly and upwardly inclined position, substantially as specified.

8. The combination with desk-standards, of a forwardly-extending yoke having a centrally-depending interiorly-threaded sleeve, a seat-standard removably fitted upon said sleeve, a seat-adjusting screw threaded in the sleeve and having a longitudinal channel, a set-screw engaging registering openings in the seat-standard and sleeve and terminally engaging said channel of the screw, and a seat upon the upper end of the screw, substantially as specified.

9. The combination with desk-standards, of a forwardly-extending yoke having a centrally-depending interiorly-threaded sleeve, a seat-standard removably fitted upon said sleeve, a seat-adjusting screw threaded in the sleeve and having a longitudinal channel, a set-screw engaging registering openings in the seat-standard and sleeve and terminally engaging said channel of the screw, a seat swiveled upon the upper end of the screw, and stop devices for limiting the independent rotation of the seat with relation to the screw,

' fitted in said sleeve, a seat swivelecl on the upper end of the screw, and stop devices for limiting the independent rotation of the seat with relation to the screw.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed mysignature in IQ the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM T. DODD.

Witnesses:

CLARK N. MOLEAN, J. ROLLIN DODD. 

